Editing Dan Coats (section)

== Career ==
Coats served in the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] from 1966 to 1968.  He also served as assistant vice president of a Fort Wayne life insurance company.

===Political staffer in Washington (1976–1980)===
From 1976 to 1980, Coats worked for then-Congressman Dan Quayle, a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] from [[Indiana's 4th congressional district]], as Quayle's district representative.

=== U.S. House of Representatives (1981–1988)===
[[File:Congressman Dan Coats.jpg|thumb|left|Dan Coats as a first-term Congressman in 1981]]
When Quayle decided to challenge three-term [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] incumbent [[Birch Bayh]] in the [[1980 United States Senate election in Indiana|1980 U.S. Senate election]], Coats ran for and won Quayle's seat in the U.S. House. He was reelected four times from this [[Fort Wayne]]-based district, usually without serious difficulty.

=== U.S. Senate (1988–1998)===
[[File:U.S. Senator Dan Coats (R-IN) visits Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1996.jpg|thumb|left|Senator Coats visiting [[Mobile army surgical hospital (US)|Mobile Army Surgical Hospital]] in [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]] in 1996]]

When Quayle resigned from the Senate after being elected [[Vice President of the United States]] in 1988, Coats, who had just been elected to a fifth term in the House, was appointed to Quayle's former seat. He subsequently won a special election in 1990 for the balance of Quayle's second term, and was elected to a full term in 1992. Coats declined to run for a second full term in 1998. He served in the Senate until January 1999, at which time he was succeeded by [[Evan Bayh]].

=== Counselor (1998–2001) ===
Coats worked as special counsel member in the firm [[DLA Piper|Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand]] in 2000 and 2001. In 2001, Coats was reportedly one of [[George W. Bush]]'s top choices to be [[United States Secretary of Defense|secretary of defense]], a job eventually given to [[Donald Rumsfeld]] who had previously held the post under President [[Gerald Ford]].

===US Ambassador to Germany (2001–2005)===
[[File:Daniel Coats.jpg|thumb|right|Ambassador Daniel Coats]]
From August 15, 2001, to February 28, 2005, Coats was [[George W. Bush]]'s [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Germany|ambassador to Germany]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Speeches by Ambassador Coats |url=http://germany.usembassy.gov/germany/coats_speeches.html |publisher=[[United States Ambassador to Germany|United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany]] |access-date=April 24, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827195257/http://germany.usembassy.gov/germany/coats_speeches.html |archive-date=August 27, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Biography: Daniel R. Coats |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/6087.htm |publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref> As ambassador during the lead-up to the [[Iraq War]], he unsuccessfully pressured the Government of Germany led by Chancellor [[Gerhard Schröder]] not to oppose the war, threatening worsened U.S. relations with Germany.<ref name="iraq">{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,212385,00.html |title=Irak-Kriegspläne: US-Botschafter mahnt die Deutschen – SPIEGEL ONLINE – Nachrichten – Politik |publisher=Spiegel.de |date=September 4, 2002 |access-date=July 12, 2010}}</ref> As Ambassador he also played a critical role in establishing robust relations with then opposition leader [[Angela Merkel]], who approved the Iraq war, and in the construction of a new [[United States Embassy in Berlin|United States Embassy]] in the heart of Berlin next to the [[Brandenburg Gate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://washtimesherald.com/local/x712215748/Coats-Bucshon-to-headline-GOP-dinner |title=Coats, Bucshon to headline GOP dinner » Local News » The Washington Times-Herald |date=May 21, 2010 |publisher=Washtimesherald.com |access-date=July 12, 2010}}</ref>

===Again in private life (2005–2010)===
Coats served as co-chairman of the Washington government relations office of [[King & Spalding]].<ref name="nyt" />

In 2005, Coats drew attention when he was chosen by President George W. Bush to shepherd [[Harriet Miers]]'s failed nomination to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] through the Senate. Echoing Senator [[Roman Hruska]]'s [[Roman Hruska#Mediocrity|famous 1970 speech]] in defense of [[Harrold Carswell]], Coats said to [[CNN]] regarding the nomination: "If [being a] great intellectual powerhouse is a qualification to be a member of the court and represent the American people and the wishes of the American people and to interpret the Constitution, then I think we have a court so skewed on the intellectual side that we may not be getting representation of America as a whole."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Transcripts: American Morning: Miers confirmation battle|url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/ltm/date/2005-10-07/segment/04|date=October 7, 2005|access-date=July 10, 2023|website=CNN}}</ref>

In 2007, Coats served as co-chairman of a team of lobbyists for [[Cooper Industries]], a Texas corporation that moved its principal place of business to Bermuda, where it would not be liable for U.S. taxes. In that role, he worked to block Senate legislation that would have closed a tax loophole, worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Cooper Industries.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/us/politics/14coats.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a23|title=A Journey From Lawmaker to Lobbyist and Back Again|first=Eric |last=Lipton|publisher=nyt.com |date= November 13, 2010|access-date=November 15, 2010}}</ref>

===U.S. Senate (2011–2016)===
{{See also|2010 United States Senate election in Indiana}}
[[File:Dan Coats, official portrait, 112th Congress.jpg|thumb|180px|Official portrait of Senator Coats, 2011]]
Coats announced on February 3, 2010, he would run<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/60564-coats-and-bayh-finally-set-to-do-battle/ |title=Coats and Bayh finally set to do battle |date=February 4, 2010 |publisher=TheHill |access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> for his old Senate seat; and on February 16, 2010, Bayh announced his intention to retire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/15/bayh.retirement/ |title=Bayh won't seek Senate re-election |website=CNN.com |access-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> Coats went on to win the seat. In March 2015, he announced that he would not run for reelection in 2016. He served on the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]].<ref>{{Citation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230113848/http://www.coats.senate.gov/meet-dan/committees/|title=Committee Assignments|date=December 30, 2016|archive-date=December 30, 2016|url=http://www.coats.senate.gov/meet-dan/committees/ |work=Coats.senate.gov|publisher=[[United States Senate]]|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On February 10, 2010, Coats confirmed that he would return to Indiana to run for the seat held by incumbent Evan Bayh in the 2010 United States Senate election.<ref>{{cite web
 |author=Ryan Elijah 
 |title=Dan Coats Confirms Bid for U.S. Senate 
 |publisher=Indiana's NewsCenter 
 |url=http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/84004092.html 
 |date=February 10, 2010 
 |access-date=February 10, 2010 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212133237/http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/84004092.html 
 |archive-date=February 12, 2010 
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://heraldargus.com/articles/2010/03/23/news/local/doc4ba84238e639b605010529.txt|title=Dan Coats outlines his priorities|last=Flynn, Bridget|date=March 23, 2010|publisher=Herald Argus|access-date=April 1, 2010|archive-date=April 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419225234/http://heraldargus.com/articles/2010/03/23/news/local/doc4ba84238e639b605010529.txt|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bayh had made no previous announcements and was fully expected to run for another term, but after Coats announced his candidacy, Bayh announced his retirement on February 15, 2010. On May 4, 2010, Coats won the Republican primary over State Senator [[Marlin Stutzman]] and former U.S. Representative [[John Hostettler]].<ref name=primary>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/2010/maps/#/Senate/2010/IN |title=The 2010 Results Maps |publisher=Politico.Com |access-date=July 12, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/senate-republicans-get-their-m.html?wprss=thefix|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716181728/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/senate-republicans-get-their-m.html?wprss=thefix|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 16, 2012|title=Coats, Fisher win; NC-Senate to runoff|first=Chris |last=Cillizza|newspaper=Washington Post|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 9, 2010}}</ref>

Coats defeated Democratic U.S. Representative [[Brad Ellsworth]] by a 15-point margin to return to the Senate.<ref name="cnn.com">{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2010/results/individual/#INS01 | work=CNN | title=State Results - Election Center 2010 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com}}</ref>

Coats became the senior senator from Indiana after [[Richard Lugar]] lost a challenge in the 2012 Republican primary election and subsequently was not re-elected to the Senate in 2012. Coats served the remainder of his term with Democrat [[Joe Donnelly]].

=== Director of National Intelligence (2017–2019)===
[[File:Dan Coats swearing in.jpg|thumb|Coats being sworn in as Director of National Intelligence by Vice President [[Mike Pence]] on March 16, 2017]]
On January 5, 2017, Coats was announced as then-[[President-elect of the United States|President]]-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet-level]] position of Director of National Intelligence, to succeed the outgoing [[James R. Clapper]].<ref name="DNIN" /> His confirmation hearing was held on February 28, 2017, by the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|United States Senate Intelligence Committee]], which approved his nomination on March 9, 2017, with a 13–2 vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fox59.com/2017/02/28/former-sen-dan-coats-to-face-question-on-capitol-hill-during-nomination-hearing-for-director-of-national-intelligence/|title=Former Sen. Dan Coats to face questions during nomination hearing for director of national intelligence|publisher=Fox59 |author=Matt Smith|access-date=March 10, 2017|date=February 28, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Advance">{{cite web |author=Matt McKinney |date=March 9, 2017 |title=Former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats' nomination as director of national intelligence advances to full Senate |url=http://www.theindychannel.com/news/politics/former-us-sen-dan-coats-dni-nomination-advances-to-full-senate |access-date=March 10, 2017 |publisher=The Indy Channel}}</ref> The Senate confirmed his nomination with an 85–12 vote on March 15, 2017, and he was sworn into office on March 16, 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-16/dan-coats-sworn-in-as-national-intelligence-director|title=Dan Coats Sworn in as National Intelligence Director|date=March 16, 2017|website=Bloomberg.com|access-date=May 22, 2017}}</ref>

On July 16, 2018, Coats released a statement affirming the consensus of the [[United States Intelligence Community]] (IC) that the [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Russian government interfered]] in the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 U.S. presidential election]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/1888-statement-from-dni-coats|title=Statement from DNI Coats|website=Dni.gov|language=en-gb|access-date=July 17, 2018|archive-date=July 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717024045/https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/1888-statement-from-dni-coats|url-status=dead}}</ref> a day after the [[2018 Russia–United States summit]] where President Trump recanted his endorsement of the IC's assessment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/16/politics/donald-trump-putin-helsinki-summit/index.html|title=Trump sides with Putin over US intelligence|author-link=Jeremy Diamond (journalist)|first=Jeremy |last=Diamond|website=Cnn.com|access-date=July 17, 2018}}</ref>

On September 6, 2018, Director Coats denied that he had authored the anonymous [[I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration|op-ed piece from a senior Trump Administration official]] that criticized the President which had been published by ''[[The New York Times]]'' the day prior. The day before, [[MSNBC]] host [[Lawrence O'Donnell]] speculated that Coats was the author of the guest essay, which was later revealed to have been written by then-[[United States Department of Homeland Security]] Chief of Staff [[Miles Taylor (security expert)|Miles Taylor]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/06/nyt-op-ed-pence-pompeo-809125|title=Trump officials race to deny they authored 'resistance' op-ed|website=Politico.com|date=September 6, 2018 |access-date=July 1, 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, 2018.jpg|thumb|right|Coats in 2018]]
Coats released the DNI's "Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community" on January 29, 2019, listing the major threats to the United States. The reports states that the "international system is coming under increasing strain amid continuing cyber and WMD proliferation threats, competition in space, and regional conflicts. Among the disturbing trends are hostile states and actors' intensifying online efforts to influence and interfere with elections here and abroad and their use of chemical weapons. Terrorism too will continue to be a top threat to US and partner interests worldwide, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.<ref group="Notes">Terrorists groups listed in order are Sunni Violent Extremists, ISIS, [[Al-Qaeda]], Homegrown Violent Extremists, Shia Actors, Lebanese Hizballah, Violent Ethno-supremacist and Ultranationalist Groups (pp. 10–13).</ref> The development and application of new technologies will introduce both risks and opportunities, and the US economy will be challenged by slower global economic growth and growing threats to U.S. economic competitiveness." In the report, Coats also highlighted the potential negative impacts to US national security as a result of climate change, with this statement: "The United States will probably have to manage the impact of global human security challenges, such as threats to public health, historic levels of human displacement, assaults on religious freedom, and the
negative effects of environmental degradation and climate change."<ref name="DNI">{{Cite report| series =Climate and Security |title=Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community |date=February 13, 2018| access-date = February 24, 2018| url = https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/Testimonies/2018-ATA---Unclassified-SSCI.pdf |work=Director of National Intelligence}}</ref>{{rp|4}}

[[File:President Trump Holds a Meeting in the Oval Office (32007462457).jpg|thumb|right|Coats in a meeting with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Donald Trump]], [[John Bolton]], and [[Gina Haspel]], January 2019]]
Reporting to Congress in January 2019, the subject advised that Russia acting in concert with their allies will use novel strategies that build on their previous experience in [[Foreign electoral intervention|election meddling]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mak|first=Tim|date=2019-01-29|title=Spy Boss Coats Warns That Russia, Others Plot New Interference Techniques For 2020 |work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/01/29/689636708/spy-boss-coats-warns-russia-others-plot-new-interference-techniques-for-2020|access-date=2023-01-01}}</ref> In July 2019, Coats appointed an election security "czar," [[Shelby Pierson]], to oversee efforts across intelligence agencies. She is the first to have that role.<ref name="npr.org">{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/07/19/743567568/director-of-national-intelligence-dan-coats-appoints-new-election-security-czar|title=Director Of National Intelligence Dan Coats Appoints New Election Security Czar|newspaper=NPR|date=July 19, 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-07-23|last1=Ewing|first1=Philip}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://homelandprepnews.com/stories/34914-pierson-appointed-as-newly-established-ic-election-threats-executive/|title=Pierson appointed as newly established IC Election Threats Executive|date=2019-07-23|website=Homeland Preparedness News|access-date=2019-07-23}}</ref> Coats also directed other intelligence agencies to appoint executives to coordinate election security.<ref name="npr.org" />

During his tenure Coats sometimes took public positions that conflicted with Trump's statements or actions. Areas of disagreement included Russia, and particularly Russia's interference in the 2016 election, as well as North Korea and Iran. On July 28, 2019, following multiple anonymous reports that he was about to be let go, Trump announced on Twitter that Coats would depart on August 15 and that he would nominate U.S. Representative [[John Ratcliffe (American politician)|John Ratcliffe]] (R-Texas) to replace him as Director of National Intelligence.<ref name="Steve Holland, Jeff Mason" /><ref name="step" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/28/us/politics/dan-coats-intelligence-chief-out.html|title=Dan Coats to Step Down as Intelligence Chief; Trump Picks Loyalist for Job|last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|date=2019-07-28|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-08-18|last2=Barnes|first2=Julian E.|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|last3=Baker|first3=Peter}}</ref>

Later, it was revealed that Trump had spoken by phone to Ukrainian President [[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]] on July 25, three days before Trump fired Coats. (Trump was [[First impeachment of Donald Trump|impeached for pressuring Ukraine]].) When the Ukraine scandal came to light, some speculated that Coats's firing had been related to the Ukraine phone call.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borger |first=Julian |date=September 28, 2019 |title=Trump's Ukraine call sparks new questions over intelligence chief's firing |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/27/dan-coats-dni-trump-firing-ukraine |access-date=3 January 2024 |website=[[TheGuardian.com]]}}</ref>